Solvang, California, a town founded by Danish-American educators | Photo via Wikimedia Commons
Part II of a How to End a “Banana U.S.A. Republic (BUSAR)” Series
This column presents a series of proposals to the two finalists in the November 3, 2026, California gubernatorial election. The first idea is to initiate the reinvention of the Golden State into a bigger version of Scandinavia. The second hypothesis is to prevent turmoil, like a protracted civil war, from carving the United States into two groups of Union and Confederate states. The third aspect of this series of suggestions is to end the turning of the U.S.A. into the world’s biggest “banana republic.” How?
A newly elected governor of California can remind Californians that their state and local officials are responsible for the fact that, if the Golden State were an independent country, it would rank as the fourth-largest economy in the world because its gross state product (GSP) exceeds $4 trillion. It only trails the full United States, China, and Germany. This Californian economic powerhouse is larger than the national economies of Japan, India, and the United Kingdom.
Why Become the Western Hemisphere’s Scandinavia?
The three individual Scandinavian countries of Denmark, Norway, and Sweden do not rank in the top-ten largest world economies by total GDP, as they are relatively small in population. However, they are among the world’s richest in terms of GDP per capita and highly competitive. Together, the Nordic region ranks near the top ten global economies. They are also among the top seven in the “Happiest Countries” list.
To save the federal union, California first needs to emulate Denmark, Norway, and Sweden by providing universal, tax-funded healthcare, free higher education, and comprehensive pension systems, often referred to as the Nordic model. While “free” at the point of service, these systems are funded through high taxation, especially higher on corporate taxpayers, with government spending often exceeding 48% of GDP. The Nordic countries do not budget for prestige projects like the “Bridge to Nowhere” of Pittsburgh (PA), the “Bullet Train to Nowhere (to San Francisco and Las Vegas).
“Free college education” is offered by law to Americans who serve voluntarily in any of the five branches of the U.S. military. On the other hand, military service is mandatory in the Nordic countries for those who do not have medically verifiable mental and/or physical incapacity. The idea of free college education for Americans may require implementing the Nordic system of compulsory military service for qualified individuals upon reaching age 18.
Scandinavian countries have a homelessness problem, too. But it is significantly lower and structured differently than in many other nations. The Nordic countries focus on “Housing First” strategies, resulting in very few people sleeping on the streets. The Nordic model countries still manage to prevent their populations from experiencing temporary homelessness, often linked to substance abuse, mental illness, or temporary housing shortages.
Preventing Turmoil
If a new state government can demonstrate that the Nordic models for healthcare, education, and pension systems work and benefit more taxpayers, other states (even in the so-called Red or Purple toss-up regions) may seek a new national union with California, which can serve as the third option. And prevent the much-feared second civil war in the United States. Voters in every state have the same rights recognized by the United Nations, allowing the people to hold plebiscites, as in South Sudan and Eritrea, which allowed them to secede from Sudan and Ethiopia, respectively, in recent memory.
Ending the Turning of the U.S.A. into a Banana Republic
This topic has been discussed in last Wednesday’s column, which is Part I of this series. To read the introductory column again, “Will the U.S. Be Dubbed World’s First Super Banana Republic on July Fourth?” please click this link.
Readers, especially community leaders, may want to join this movement. They can organize chapters for the Scandinavianization (sic) of California and the ending of a “Banana U.S.A. Republic (BUSAR)”. Please get in touch with this columnist for details. There are plans to organize such chapters before the November 3, 2026, election.
How to fund the implementation of said ideas and related details will be discussed starting in Part III of this series.
